Section 3 (1-3) Drifting Continents



Vocabulary



Pangaea- means "all lands"- a super continent exisisted 300 million years ago.
continental drift- the movement of continents over time.
fossil- trace of ancient organism preserved in rock.


Outline



Summary

Africa and South America look like they fit together

Theory of continental drift

  • 1910/Wegener
    • hypothesis of single land mass/Pangaea
    • supported idea with the study of landforms, fossils, and climate
  • evidence from fossils- common fossils found on distant continents
  • evidence from landforms- mountains- Africa and South America coal fields
  • evidence from climate- continents today have very different climate from millions of years ago
  • Scientists reject Wegeners theory
    • could not prove how continents drifted